The Lost World: Jurassic Kratts

Journey Into The Unknown

"Couldn't– we just—airlift – into the — island?"
As the ferry boat made its way through the passive Pacific waters with its cargo of vehicles and explorers, Malcolm stood in the vessel's bow, eyes cast forward as a tiny dot of volcanic island rose in the distance. Nearby, Nick was adjusting the rigging on some of the strapped down equipment while a seasick Eddie bent over the rail, losing his lunch for what seemed the fourth or fifth time.
"Helicopters are too disruptive."said Malcolm in answer to Eddie's complaint. "If Sarah and the others are in a delicate situation, the last thing I wanna do is cause the animals to panic." At that, Nick stifled a snicker.
"Now, John Hammond has already told you what you're going to see on this island."stated the mathematician grimly. "Being sane people, I'm sure you don't believe him. And I'm sure you've concluded that I'm out of my mind too. I won't bother trying to convince you otherwise. But even if you think I'm deluded and harmless, I promise you, this place is not. There are things in the interior of that island that not only can kill you, they want to kill you. Take this place lightly, you'll never leave it."
  The boat continued its course for the island, slowly plowing through a blanket of fog that swirled and encircled the vessel before coming into a verdant lagoon surrounded by various tropical plants. Far in the distance, the songs of the indigenous birds were not the only sounds that could be heard from deep in the jungle; there were also strange booming bellows totally new to the explorers, reminiscent of a chorus from some bygone era. As the boat made its landing, a narrow metal ramp is placed unto the white, sandy shore, allowing the jeeps and camouflaged trailers to disembark, one of the former towing the larger vehicle. Malcolm stood at the edge of the water, speaking to the boat's captain while Nick stood between them, translating. The captain seemed fearful, one arm draped protectively around his thirteen year old son, his eyes casting quick, cautious glances around the beach and the surrounding vegetation.
  "He says he wants to anchor a few miles offshore, but not here."said the photographer, translating the man's words. "He's heard too many stories about this island chain and he's not taking any chances."
"What stories?"inquired Malcolm. Nick turned to the captain, repeating the question in Spanish. "¿Que tipo de cuentos?"
"De pescadores. Que acercaron demasiado a las islas y nunca volvieron."came the answer.
"Si, si, si, he's heard stories about fishermen who came too close to the islands, and they never returned." Nick translated. Malcolm nodded in understanding.
"Tengo la radio, tengo el teléfono satelital,"
"He has a radio, he has a satellite phone,"
"Si me necesitas, llámame, podemos aparecer en dos horas,"
"If you need him, send him a call; he'll be here in about two hours."
"Pero no me alojaré aquí,"
"But he will not stay here."
"No me alojaré en ningún lugar cerca de estas islas,"
"He will not stay anywhere near these islands."
"Se llaman Las Cinco Muertes."
"They call the islands– ¿Las Cinco Muertes?" Here the cameraman raised an eyebrow upon hearing the ominous name.
"Si."answered the sailor in confirmation.
"What–what does that mean?"asked Eddie from his place by the AAV.
"The Five Deaths, he says." For the first time, Nick's face distinctly registered concern and Eddie's face seemed to have paled. For a longest time, not a word was spoken.
"Well, that's that."said Malcolm as though it weren't the first time he's been on a forsaken island. "Let's be on our way." As he disembarked the vessel, the technician and photographer watched him go incredulously before exchanging glances.
**** Two Hours Later...****
"I built a location sensor into Dr. Harding's satellite phone so we should be getting a reading,"said Eddie as he, Malcolm and Nick trekked through a wide forest trail as he led the way, a positioning system in hand. The mathematician walked beside him while Nick was trotting along behind him with all of his camera equipment, all the while admiring the natural scenery, from the low growing ferns to towering redwoods.
Their position on the GPS screen was very clearly marked by a blinking red X on the top corner, slowly making its way from the northeastern edge of the island. It continued thus before a red triangle appears a short distance away from the X, accompanied by an ID tag labeled "HRDG,". Along side the triangle also appeared a round, turquoise circle with a paw print insignia.
  "That's our girl." Turning to Malcolm, Eddie smirked. "See, Doc? Everything's under control."
   "Her phone is safe. I'm so relieved. You've got the rifle?" In answer, Eddie picked up the Lindstradt rifle, slinging it over his shoulder. "Let's go. And the second we get her, we're out of here."
   "Speak for yourself."remarked the cameraman from behind. "For the amount of zeroes on my paycheck, John Hammond is going to get his money's worth." Ignoring him, the scientist continued his search.
"She should be here somewhere, we're right on top of it–"murmured Malcolm eyes darting from the GPS to the surrounding trees until he and the technician were alerted by Nick as he pointed over to the other side of an oncoming creek no more than several yards away. "Over there!"
In almost no time at all, the trio raced over to the other side where a battered old backpack laid out on the ground, a torn and dirty shirt splayed out beside it. Nick picked up the backpack, which was filthy, torn, and smeared with dirt and what looked to be dried blood.
"Oh, my God . . ." Eddie mumbled as both he and Nick eyed the pack in horror. Malcolm however, was strangely calm.
"No, that's how it always looks. It's her lucky pack."he reassured his colleagues.
"Well that's a relief,"sighed Nick.
"It better be." Eddie said, looking at the torn bag. Malcolm rummaged through it until he pulled out her satellite phone.
"She must be nearby, if we split up we'll cover more–"
"Absolutely not." the mathematician stated firmly, cutting off Nick's proposal. "We stay together. Predators look for strays that have split off from the group." But Nick shrugged off Malcolm's warning as he walked along the tree line. "I'm going to search the foliage on this side of the stream bed,"
  Suddenly the nearby trees started to sway, their leaves raining down to the ground.
"One of you guys stay in the center and the other take the far edge. We'll keep within shouting range of each other and call out every–" Nick froze mid sentence as the trees behind him shivered and swayed once more, only louder this time.
  Malcolm gestured to Eddie, who readied his weapon while Nick slid a three quarter inch tape into his video camera before swinging it up onto his shoulder.
"What?"whispered Malcolm addressing the armed technician.
"Something big." Eddie replied, eyes never leaving the undergrowth as the trees continued to shake and sway as its occupant continued to move forward.
"How big?"
"Big enough to worry about!"
Before long, a row of bony, spade-shaped plates jutted out from above the surrounding foliage until their owner came into full view, the sheer sight causing the group to freeze in amazement, their eyes as wide as saucers, mouths agape: From out of the forest lumbered a very large, quadrupedal animal, unlike anything they had seen before. Despite the creature's tiny head, its body was massive, measuring more than thirty feet from nose to tail, and appeared to be as heavy as a bull elephant. But the features that stood out among this behemoth were the two rows of spinal plates along its broad back and the four formidable spikes on its long, powerful tail.
"Whoa... Yikes!"said Eddie while Nick, who was chewing gum, stared at the beast in surprise, causing the gum to drop from his mouth as the cameraman's jaw dropped before he instinctively started snapping snapshot after snapshot of the creature. Even Malcolm, who had expected as much, couldn't help but feel awed in the animal's presence. Despite the fact that none of the three men were trained in the paleontological field, they could immediately recognize the armored colossus as a Stegosaurus.
  And it wasn't alone; shortly afterward, a second Stegosaur lumbered into view behind the first, with a small baby in tow. A low bellow startled the trio out their trance, and as they turned to look behind, another of the hulking giants, by far the largest of them all, walked out of the foliage, seemingly unconcerned about the small creatures in its environment, the earth vibrating with its footsteps. In the glistening sunlight, they could see several old, white scars along its vast hide, one of its great plates broken off, and most strikingly, this Stegosaurus had only three tail spikes where there should be four.
"This is– this is magnificent."said Eddie after a moment of awed silence.
"Oh yeah.. ooh..ahh.. That's how it always starts, but then later there's running and umm.. screaming."added Malcolm sarcastically, grimy recalling the very last time something like this had occurred.
Eager to take more once-in-a-lifetime snapshots with his camera, Nick hopped onto a fallen tree that extended across the stream for a better view of the drifting Stegosaurs. So preoccupied in his work he was that he was completely oblivious to a redheaded woman standing nearby, dressed in field gear, snapping photos with her own camera. She became aware of his presence upon hearing the clicking of his camera. A mischievous smile slowly made its way into her features.
"Hey, Nick!" Needless to say, the cameraman was caught off guard as he struggled to maintain his footing on the log. This caused the woman to break into laughter.
"You kind of got the jump on us there a little bit, didn't you Sarah."sighed Nick as he recovered from his initial shock. "Yeah,"chuckled Sarah as she made her way on top of the log. She had hardly reached the top when, to her surprise, she spotted Malcolm standing nearby.
"Ian, I never thought in a million years Hammond would get you to come here," she then turned her attention to the technician. "Hi, Eddie!"
"Hi, Sarah,"he replied with a smile.
"Got a granola bar or something? I'm starving!" The adventurous paleontologist jumped off the fallen tree, landing into the creek with a splash before racing up to the man in black, wrapping her arms around him in an embrace.
"I'm so happy you're here! Is it Wednesday already? I lost track of the time. Those animals that walked by, did you see them? Stegosaurus stenops, family Stegosauridae, infraorder Stegosauria, suborder Thyreophora. Length, adult male, estimate twenty-five to thirty feet. A family group; a pair bond and a subadult, long after that infant was nestbound! Every egg clutch we found had empty shells crushed and trampled; the hatchlings definitely stay within the birth environment for an extended period of time, that's conclusive. I can put
that controversy to rest, if I could just get a shot of the nest. Oooh, a Nikon!" Here, she reached for the camera still hanging around Nick's neck. "Can I borrow that?" Once the cameraman gave his approval, Sarah addressed her boyfriend: "I'll be right, baby, I promise." With that, she walked off, taking the trail blazed by the Stegosaurus as the others stared blankly in her direction. Nick turned to Malcolm with a smile.
"Should we rescue her now or after lunch?"
**** Three Minutes Later...****
"Sarah, when Hammond called you, uhh, why didn't you say something to me?"asked Malcolm as he and the others followed Sarah along the shallow creek.
"Because I new you would have stopped me from coming."replied Sarah over her shoulder, all smiles.
"I would have tied you to the bed...right"
"I think we figured out how the animals survive without lysine."the paleontologist informed, deaf to the mathematician's sarcastic remark.
"I don't care."
"If you look at the diets of the herbivore species that are thriving, you see that they eat mostly soy, agma beans, anything lysine rich. And the carnivores, well they eat the herbivores, so..."–here, she paused upon hearing a low bellow– "shh wait." Her voice suddenly turned into a whisper as she turned back to the boys, gesturing for everyone to freeze. "Hold on, I'll be right back."
"Sarah, no! No!"exclaimed Malcolm, eyes wide open upon seeing Sarah slowly approaching the herd of armored Stegosaurus as they foraged along the creek.
"She's gutty."commented Nick as they were all crouched down behind an old, moss covered log. "She's nuts!"interjected the scientist, pinching the bridge of his nose, his voice barely above a whisper.
Gutty or nuts, the paleontologist crawled her way to a stand of ferns when a small head emerged from the greenery, peering at the human curiously. It was the baby Stegosaurus encountered earlier. Compared to its gargantuan parents, this dinosaur was rather small, about the size of a cow, and like a cow, it was munching and chewing on the nearby ferns and shrubs and showed no fear towards the human who took a snapshot from the borrowed camera.
  "Sarah. Sarah!"whispered Malcolm as loud as he dared in hopes of getting Sarah's attention, raising an eyebrow upon seeing her approaching the young herbivore. "She's getting much too close,"
  "What the hell is she doing?"questioned Nick out loud, equally puzzled. Eddie simply looked on blankly.
   "Too close, too close."
The paleontologist then slowly, tentatively reached out to gently touch the baby dinosaur's snout before moving her hand along its scaly head, earning a snort. The Stegosaurus seemed to enjoy the human's touch as it rumbled a soft purr, its small eyes closed in bliss as it nudged her hand, as if asking for more. Sarah smiled as she continued to pet the animal, an animal whose family she previously knew only from the ancient rocks and bones of the fossil record, now in the flesh, living, breathing, and purring for all the world like a 2,000 pound kitten.
    She continued petting the young Stegosaurus, whom the bone digger identified as a female, until she bellowed rather loudly before slowly lumbering off to join the rest of the herd. Sarah followed the baby closely until she was in a perfect position to photograph the nesting site straight ahead. Perfect, she thought as she squeezed off picture after picture from this ideal vantage point behind the walking shield... when the camera's autowinder came to life with a piercing WHIR!!! causing Sarah to look down upon the camera in horror.
   The sudden noise startled the baby Stegosaurus who cried out in alarm as she bolted for the safety of the herd. The men's faces whiten in horror upon seeing the adult animals respond to the incoming threat. With a resounding roar, the youngster's mother burst out of the trees, plates bristling as she charged in Sarah's direction. The paleontologist tried to turn tail and run only to find herself completely surrounded by an entire herd of angry Stegosaurus, all stomping their feet, displaying their dorsal plates in a threatening manner.
Malcolm desperately made his way towards trumpeting pandemonium only to be held back by Nick. "Shoot 'em!"he shouted to Eddie who raised his rifle in readiness. The technician, however, was hesitant as he took aim, answering: "They're just protecting their baby!"
"So am I!"
Inside the circle of Stegosaurs, Sarah searched frantically for a way out, but all she could see were living walls of plates and hide. As the mother stood protectively between her baby and this strange intruder, the subadult male swung his tail straight at the human, two pairs of three foot spikes fully extended as they cut through the air. Sarah, however, managed to duck down, avoiding a deadly swipe that would have impaled her, before rolling out of the way, dodging another set of spears that buried themselves on the dirt where we stood. The paleontologist crawled away as quickly as she could before picking herself off the ground. The very ground began to shake, and as Sarah looked up, she saw the gigantic scarred individual, the alpha male, thundering his way towards her with surprising speed for his size.
Moved by adrenaline, the redhead ran  into a hollowed-out log for cover.
From her place inside the log, the paleontologist peeked outside the wooded fortress to see the baby Stegosaurus being gently nuzzled by her mother. She smiled at this display of affection– before three massive tail spikes imbedded themselves into the log, stopping just inches from her face, earning a startled gasp from Sarah. Wriggling backwards toward the other opening, she could hear the alpha roaring as he struggled to free his tail. Hardly had she reached the exit when a gigantic paw crashed to the ground before her as the subadult began to crash against the log with all his weight, front paws pushing down with tremendous force, slowly reducing it to matchwood with each blow.
"Sarah!"screamed the men, horrified upon seeing one of their team trapped inside the crumbling log by the two angry dinosaurs who were obviously not going to let up. Running out of alternatives, Sarah pulled something out of her pocket. Taking a deep breath, she blew into the object with everything she had, producing a shrill, eerie whistle that resonated within the hollow wooden fortress, amplifying the sound. The noise caused the two Stegosaurus to flinch back like two horses that stumbled upon a snake before they slowly backed off. The adult female immediately went on the defensive, eyes glancing in all directions, tail spikes held in readiness as she continued to guard her young.
From their place behind their hideout, the trio was also frightened into silence.
"What the hell was that?"asked Eddie, wide eyed. Nick didn't say a word, still shaken up by the mysterious sound that gave him the shivers. Malcolm, however, felt a cold chill crawl up his spine, having heard that call before, albeit not exactly remembering the source.
For a brief moment, the jungle was silent... until the silent spell was shattered by a series of squawks and bloodcurdling shrieks that seemed to come from all directions, followed by loud rustling among the dense undergrowth before six or seven slender, bipedal dinosaurs erupted out of the surrounding brush, racing swiftly into the clearing.
Velociraptors, Malcolm remembered with a chill crawling down his spine, heart pounding wildly in his chest.
"Oh my God!"hollered Nick and Eddie simultaneously as they huddled closer to one another upon seeing the terrifying thirteen-foot predators apparently springing into the attack. Luckily for them, the voracious predators seemed to have no interest in the spectating humans. A sudden disturbance caused the three men to turn behind them to behold three more raptors racing along the creek, charging straight at them!
While one had a natural colored orange hide, the other two were more peculiar, sporting blue and green colors. But that was the last thing on everyone's mind as the trio of humans ducked down as the three carnivorous dinosaurs leaped almost effortlessly over their heads.
"To the Sarah Rescue!"exclaimed a pair of male voices, much to everyone's surprise.
"What the hell?"mumbled Nick as they once again looked upon the once tranquil nest site, now a trumpeting, roaring pandemonium as the grown Stegosaurs halted their assault on the log, instinctively forming a protective rosette around the youngster while the pack of raptors circled the herd, hissing and nipping at their heels all the while dodging the lethal tail spikes. Something about those strange raptors caused Malcolm to look closer. Something very familiar.
Suddenly, to Nick and Eddie's utter amazement, the green raptor spoke in an authoritative voice to address his comrades, saying: "We gotta get these guys away from Sarah! Martin! You and Tiger Claw focus on the right flank. We'll take the left."
"You got it, dude!"replied the blue theropod with a nod and a salute with his right forearm.
"Amber! You and Malaika get Sarah out of that log!"
"Yes, Chris!"chirped said raptor with a nod.
"Okay, guys. Let's do this,"growled Chris, brown eyes narrowed in determination before they all exclaimed simultaneously: "With the Power of the Pack!"
Tiger Claw's screech echoed across the creek as he rallied the other raptors together. Under the green and blue raptors' instructions, the pack began to separate into two groups, and like a pack of wolves, each one took turns harassing the herd, making mock lunges and snapping their jaws as they trilled and screeched in a wild frenzy. These mock attacks had the desired effect as the Stegosaurs' panic began to skyrocket, now on the verge of breaking ranks.
"Sorry, Trident. Can I call you Trident? We just need to get our friend,"Martin told the alpha Stegosaurus before having to duck down to avoid a blow from his three tail spikes. "Whoah! Swing and a miss!"
"Hey! Over here, big guy!"shouted Chris as he was trying to divert the subadult's attention towards himself, all the while managing to avoid a tail swipe that would have taken his head. While all this was going on, Amber and another female Velociraptor made their way toward Sarah's hiding place. The paleontologist gave a surprised expression upon seeing a scaly head poke her head inside her wooded fortress but smiled upon recognizing who it was.
"Ready to come out?"asked the dinosaur playfully, tilting her head.
Malcolm's blood went cold upon seeing two of the predatory dinosaurs sneak past the thundering uproar, making their way to the collapsed log where Sarah had taken refuge, and just when things couldn't get any worse, one of them was sticking its head inside. "Shoot 'em!"he shouted to the armed technician, barely able to contain his panic as the trapped paleontologist was now at the raptors' mercy. For half a minute, Eddie was hesitant. Too long for the mathematician's liking. "Goddammit! Shoot 'em!"
Before Eddie could take a proper shot though, the gun barrel was pushed aside by a woman with blonde braided hair, a brim hat resting on top. "I wouldn't do that if I were you,"she said, looking Eddie dead in the eyes.
The team continued to watch as Chris leaped effortlessly into the air, easily hopping onto Trident's enormous back, causing the towering behemoth to bellow loudly, rearing back on his hind legs as he tried to throw off his unwanted burden, who was clinging tightly to his cracked plates. The great Stegosaurus' front paws then came back down to earth with a crash. "Whoah! I prefer to be stirred, not shaken!"exclaimed the green raptor as the impact almost caused him to jerk forward. Having had enough, Trident took off with a gallop, running right through the surrounding raptors who fell back, allowing the hulking goliath to pass through. The rest of the herd soon followed in a thundering stampede. Chris then took that as his cue to dismount, running along the Stegosaur's tail before being flung skywards with tremendous force. Chris flew through the air like a green arrow before performing several flips in mid air. He finished his stunt by landing on his feet in his signature pose.
  "They're leaving... I–I think they're leaving."stammered Eddie, still not believing what he has seen before turning to the cameraman."Got all that on camera?" Nick nodded, mouth agape.
   Sarah crawled free of the battered log, scrambling away on all fours as the Stegosaurus herd stampeded away, disappearing into the brush, moving surprisingly quickly for animals their size.
Once the herd was gone, the others, with Malcolm in the lead, ran up to Sarah as two raptors were assisting her back on her feet. "Are you alright?"
"Never better! Thanks, Amber,"she replied with a chuckle, patting the dinosaur's head.
"Mission accomplished!"cheered the Kratt Brothers as they arrived on the scene, now in their proper forms as they exchanged high fives. The paleontologist then made her way back to the fallen tree where the others were hidden. Martin and Chris soon followed.
"Thanks for the save, guys,"said Sarah once she regained her footing, addressing the two creature adventurers.
"Don't mention it, Sarah. We came just as soon as we heard that distress call,"replied Martin. It was then that the two creature adventurers realized that they had an audience.
The rest of the team scrambled over to the trio to exchange greetings. To their utmost relief, Sarah was miraculously unhurt.
"That was one hell of an entrance you guys made back there."remarked the photographer after exchanging a secret handshake with the two creature adventurers.
"Good to see you too, Nick!"exclaimed the two in unison before gliding over to Eddie.
"How's it going, Eddie?"greeted Chris.
"Apart from nearly having a heart attack just earlier, doing great!"
"Awesome! Aviva, Koki and Jimmy are gonna be so happy to see you!"
"And I wonder what technical marvels they've cooked up this time,"
At this point the blonde outdoors-woman in the brim hat walked up to the group. "Oh. I'm sure you guys have already met Laura."said Martin, wrapping an arm around the woman's shoulder before his brother added: "Wildlife ranger from Kenya."
"Radhi kufanya rafiki yako!"said Laura cheerfully in some foreign tongue as she shook hands with the technician.
"Say what?"asked a confused Eddie, raising an eyebrow.
"Pleased to make your acquaintance."she translated with a giggle. "Sorry; Swahili's my second language,"
She then turned to shake hands with Nick who visibly winced on contact. "Jambo, rafiki!"
"That's one strong handshake you got there, Mrs. Wilkinson,"he said, cradling his bruised hand.
"Asante, but please, just call me Laura,"
"Swahili, huh? Nice!" The cameraman beamed a smile. "I learned a thing or two from my time filming in Rwanda."
As the greetings, introductions and pleasantries were being exchanged, Malcolm stood off to the sidelines, lost in thought. But it wasn't long before he was startled out of his trance when–
"Dr. Malcolm!"
The man in black felt himself being tackled as the two Kratt Brothers pulled him in a tight bear hug. Feeling awkward, Malcolm returned the embrace, albeit rather stiffly. Both Kratts were now talking a mile a minute of hellos, and what-brings-you-to-the-islands, and something about Chris losing a bet.
"Now pay up, dude."said the older Kratt, crossing his arms with a triumphant grin on his face.
"Hmph!" With a deadpan stare directed at Martin, the Kratt in green glumly dug into his pocket to withdraw a twenty dollar bill, passing it to his brother.
  "What'd y'all bet on?"asked Nick with a mischievous smile at the bros' antics.
"Oh, Chris and I placed a wager on whether or not Dr. Malcolm would show up," Martin then cast a glance back at his brother, who simply pouted with his arms crossed, "and I won! Yeah!"here the Kratt in blue pumped a fist in the air as he laughed and cheered for himself, high-fiving Nick while Eddie and Laura looked on in amusement.
Malcolm had barely caught his breath from the Kratt Brothers' crushing embrace when without warning, Sarah dove on top of him, grabbed his head, and kissed him on the cheek, exhilarated.
"Isn't it great?"she laughed. "The gang's all here!" Malcolm wasn't amused. He then pulled out her satellite phone before showing it to her angrily.
"When it rings, you answer it! I swear to God, you're just as crazy as–" His anger suddenly vanished as a scaly head came inches from his own, causing the mathematician to jolt back on his feet in fright.
"Greetings, friend!"said the Velociraptor, playfully nudging against Malcolm's chest. Needless to say, the human was too petrified to move a muscle at this exchange of affection and inwardly hoped that the scaly beast couldn't smell fear.
"I'm sure you remember Amber. Member of the team and animal ambassador."stated the Kratt in blue, affectionately patting the raptor's head. Said raptor's eyes were closed in bliss, purring for all the world like a gigantic scaly cat.
"Whoah! You guys weren't kidding!"interjected the cameraman with an incredulous laugh. "You actually have a motherflipping raptor on your team!"
"Wow,"breathed a wide eyed Eddie. "Just wow.."
Amber's attention soon fell upon Nick and Eddie who immediately tensed as the Velociraptor made her way toward them. Once she was close enough, the near six-foot carnivore gently poked her nose at them as she began sniffing their clothing, their faces that were now trickling with sweat to better familiarize herself with these strange new humans. Amber then rubbed her body against the pair, allowing her long tail to linger for a moment before the reptile suddenly wheeled back around to nuzzle the mens' faces, all the while chuffing. While Eddie stood stiffly behind him, Nick summoned enough courage to reach out an gently touch the dinosaur's scaly hide, which was surprisingly warm for a creature of reptilian origin. Amber purred upon contact, raising her head to allow the awestruck photographer to stroke under her chin. He smiled. The tech expert soon joined in, his initial fear gone, replaced by awe and fascination of what he once considered a bloodthirsty monster.
But this was no monster at all, but on the contrary, a creature. An intelligent and playful creature.
Then without warning, Amber knocked them off their feet before assaulting their faces with slobbery wet kisses.
"Ahhh! She's licking me to death! Make it stop!"screamed Eddie. All the while, the sound of playful laughter rang out from the strange metal cap on the raptor's head.
Sarah, Laura and the Wild Kratts, who had been watching this scene unfold with ever growing grins, now burst out laughing upon the climax.
"She likes you!"exclaimed the paleontologist cheerfully.
"Yes I do!"chirped Amber playfully via Creature Thought Translator. Chris then decided to step in, gently pushing her off the fallen teammates.
"Easy, girl. I think they get the point."
"Okay Tokay!"
The Velociraptor nodded in understanding as she assisted Eddie and Nick back on their feet. Once they were standing, they looked upon the mathematician who stood stiffly, his eyes as wide as saucers.
"That wasn't so bad, huh Ian?"remarked Nick with a chuckle, placing a hand upon the man's shoulder. No response. "Ian?"
"Uh, Nick? We got more company..."came Eddie's rather fearful voice, hardly above a whisper. Just then, the photographer felt warm air crashing down his neck. Nick turned around, then wished he hadn't; he soon found himself face to face with the hard green eyes and scaly face of another Velociraptor much taller than Amber. Like the bubbly female, this raptor was clad in brilliant coat of orange, but the only thing setting him apart from Amber were the black brands and bars that decorated his body, resembling the stripes of a tiger.
  "Oh geez!" Nick jumped back, scared half out of his wits upon appearance of the new raptor that continued to look upon him and his teammates judgmatically, taking in their scents in deep snorts. Malcolm tried to back away slowly, only to come to a halt as another raptor cut off his retreat. The trio soon found themselves completely surrounded by half a dozen of the ferocious predators
  If Malcolm wasn't scared before, he certainly was now.
  Before Eddie could raise his rifle in readiness, Sarah, Laura, Amber and the Kratt Brothers all made their way into the ring of raptors. Amber chuffed quietly to the striped male who bobbed his head like a nod, and at a barking call from the latter, the others ceased their investigations and stood down. While the African ranger crossed her arms with a hard stare directed at the tech expert, who guiltily took that as his cue to lower his gun, Martin, Chris and Sarah decided it was time to start with a few introductions.
"Oh! Here's some other friends of ours we'd like y'all to meet: here's Slasher and Makucha," here Martin gestured to a pair of young males tussling and play fighting one another. Slasher, as the Kratt in blue pointed out, had reddish brown skin with dark stripes running along his back. He also bore a distinctive long, white scar on his muzzle, testament to rough play with his peers and his reputation as a fighter. Makucha, on the other hand, was clad in a coat of green and even darker markings on his hide. Another characteristic trait of the green raptor was a snaggletooth jutting from his lower lip. It was clear by the way the two interacted that they were close friends, if not best friends.
"Kipanga and Patchy, twin sisters," Chris introduced two females as they continued to eye the new arrivals curiously, all the while bobbing their heads like inquisitive birds. Patchy, true to her name, was easily distinguished from her sister by the distinct patches around her eyes. The masked dinosaur was also clad in a coat of tan.
"Patchy I get, but Kipanga?"asked Eddie.
"It means 'falcon',"answered the ranger, pointing out the theropod of yellow hide and brown markings, similar to that of her sister. "We call her that since she's got the eyes of a bird of prey. There's nothing that escapes her notice. We also have Malaika," this was directed to another young she-raptor, only with gray skin adorned with black spots. She gazed upon the strangers with bright blue eyes that were the color of a bright summer sky.
"Now this one's Clawjumper; she's a little shy."whispered the Kratt in green, gesturing to yet another female Velociraptor hidden behind her gray companion.
"Shy? A vicious, bloodthirsty Velociraptor is shy?"asked Malcolm incredulously, raising an eyebrow. With a confirming nod from the younger Kratt, the mathematician tried his hardest not to laugh.
  Like Malaika, Clawjumper also had blue eyes. But the skin was where all similarities ended; instead of Malaika's silvery gray hide, the younger female had a snowy white coat with black stripes.
"She's beautiful."complimented the photographer who took several snapshots with his camera. "Is she an albino?"
"No, not really; it's a rare skin pigmentation. Kinda like a white tiger."replied Sarah coming from behind him.
"And last, but certainly not least,"announced Martin dramatically, extending his arms toward a young male of bright orange with black stripes, "we have Tiger Claw! Older brother of Slasher and Malaika,"
"The leader in stripes."added Chris.
"The eldest son of the alpha pair." This came from the paleontologist.
"Very fitting."mused Malcolm, immediately catching on to the name.
Nick reached out to touch Slasher only to jerk back with a startled yelp as the scarred male snapped his jaws, nearly biting off the cameraman's hand.
"Whoah! This guy's sure got a temper," he squeaked, wide eyed as Slasher glared at him, baring his razor sharp teeth with a growl of displeasure. Nearby, Makucha made a guttural warble that resembled a laugh. Sarah tried her hardest not to laugh before failing miserably.
"Is he mocking me?"asked the photographer indignantly. Makucha continued to laugh at the foolish human.
"Careful, guys. They're still wild animals."cautioned Chris seriously.
"Don't worry, Nick. It took Slash a while to warm up to us too,"reassured Martin, recalling those first few days of trying to earn the pack's trust.
"Wait a minute," said Malcolm in sudden realization. "So this guy here is the offspring of the head honcho, and the oldest of this whole bunch?" This was directed at Tiger Claw who seemed to be chastising his younger brother for his rudeness toward Nick with a sharp nip to the latter's neck. Slasher promptly bowed his head submissively, warbling an apology.
"When you put it that way, yeah,"answered Martin with a chuckle.
"So that would mean that he and the rest of these fellas are only juveniles. Teenagers,"added Eddie, trying to make sense of things.
"Correct,"said Amber with a nod.
"Yup. Velociraptors reach their prime when they're about at least five years old,"informed Chris. His brother joined in, adding: "But even young raptors are a force to be reckoned with."
"Just ask that herd of Stegosaurus,"remarked the paleontologist.
"Then where are the adults?"asked Nick.
"They're probably back at the den looking after the infants."answered the ranger who was petting and fussing over Amber affectionately. Suddenly Martin snapped his fingers as an idea occurred to him.
"Hey, I got an idea! Why don't we take you guys to meet them!"
His younger brother liked this idea. "Yeah. Why not?"
"Oh absolutely!"added Amber, wagging her tail.
   Eddie and Nick exchanged glances before the photographer shrugged nonchalantly. "Might as well,"
Malcolm, however, was not so optimistic. "Whoa whoa. Bad idea! You'd have to be completely insane if you're gonna go straight into the lion's den."
"Not if you're already an honorary member of the pack,"countered Chris calmly as he walked up to the alpha trio. "Let's ask, shall we?" He then pulled out a strange device that looked something like a satellite dish merged with a microphone. Needless to say, it drew attention from the three newcomers.
"What is that?"asked the technician curiously.
"Aviva's Dolphin Decoder."answered Martin. "It allows us to speak Dolphinese. Or in this case, Raptorese."
"Really?" The creature adventurer nodded.
"Alright, Dr. Doolittle. Let's give it a shot."said Nick.
Clearing his throat, the Kratt in green addressed the eldest and his sister. "Hey, Tiger Claw. Malaika. Would it be alright if our friends came to your pack's den? They would very much like to see them."
  As he finished, the gadget in his hand produced several clicks, trills and rumbles that could only be made by a Velociraptor.
  The two raptors exchanged glances as though considering the human's request. After what seemed like an eternity, the eldest voiced out their answer with several caws followed by a bobbing of his head as though he were nodding. His sister shrieked with obvious delight, wagging her tail a little. The twins, Clawjumper and Amber all took up the excited call upon hearing the leader's verdict while Slasher and Makucha simply shrugged, snorting and gruffly rumbling their approval, albeit reluctantly.
"Great! I'll tell them!"said Chris, beaming a bright smile as he turned back to his team. "Tiger Claw and Malaika say that they'd be more than happy to take us to meet them."
"Besides, the older raptors love us!"exclaimed the Kratt in blue enthusiastically.
"That's awesome!"said Nick as the tech expert looked on in awe.
"Let's hope they wanna greet us, not eat us."mumbled Malcolm dryly, leaning against an unusual tree trunk along the edge of the forest. He certainly didn't look forward to the prospect of encountering more meat-eating dinosaurs, especially on their home turf.
"Oh don't worry,"replied Martin, completely oblivious to the scientist's sarcasm, "they've already eaten a big Maiasaura, and they won't have to hunt again for a few more da–" the older Kratt froze mid sentence, his eyes frozen upon Malcolm. The two creature adventurers exchanged slightly worrisome glances.
"Umm, Ian?"said Sarah nervously, earning a puzzled look from the man. She was very rarely ever nervous.
"You really don't want to be doing that,"added Chris cautiously as he and Martin backed away a few paces.
"Why not?"
  No sooner had the mathematician finished his sentence when the tree trunk lifted right up off the ground, consequently causing Malcolm to lose his footing, falling unto the forest floor.
While the seven Velociraptors slowly retreated a good distance away, everyone else craned their heads skyward until all eyes fell upon a gigantic figure ambling among the trees. The animal was far larger than any elephant, supporting its massive bulk on four pillar-like legs, shaking the very earth with each step. The features that stood out the most were the giant's long, whiplike tail that lazily swished from side to side, and the elongated neck which made up half its total body length. Overall, this colossus was easily more than a hundred feet long.
"Holy cow,"said Eddie, once again feeling small for the second time that day. Correction: he was feeling minuscule.
"Whoah... a Brontosaurus,"whispered Nick in awe, swinging his video camera straight up as the enormous herbivore resumed to its usual business of eating, the long neck weaving between the trees to reach the tender ferns and horsetails jutting in between.
"Mamenchisaurus, actually."corrected Sarah. "Family Mamenchisauridae, clade Sauropoda. Herbivore from Late Jurassic China. Known for their exceptionally long necks, half the length of their bodies."
"Hevi kabisa, look at the size of him!"exclaimed Laura in wide eyed wonder. In all her years among wildlife, she had never seen anything quite like this. "He sure makes the bull elephants back in Africa look like hyraxes."
  The group, scientists, photographers, raptors and creature adventurers alike, stared in awe and wonder as the Mamenchisaur stopped and trumpeted furtively, as though welcoming the newcomers to its world, the exceptionally long neck stretching out above them, browsing on the tender young leaves.
After a few moments, the Kratt Brothers burst into almost helpless laughter, soon joined by Sarah, Laura and Amber.
"Hellooooooo, Skyscraper!"exclaimed Martin, stretching his arms skyward toward the magnificent titan.
"Skyscraper?"asked the photographer incredulously, raising an eyebrow. Chris simply chuckled at his older brother's habit of naming creatures.
"Yeah, Skyscraper. With a neck so high it can touch the sky. Like a skyscraper."
"Well, I like it,"said the ranger who placed a hand on Martin's shoulder. Unbeknownst to her, this caused the Kratt in blue to quickly look down upon his feet, a blush adorning his features. His younger brother caught it though, and muffled a snicker behind his hands.
"This is amazing."breathed Eddie. Malcolm said not a word, while Nick continued to film, more than delighted to have so much photographic material in such a short period of time.
  "Nick, Eddie,"said Chris rather dramatically as though he was rehearsing for a Shakespearean play. Martin soon joined in, wrapping an arm around Malcolm's shoulder. "My dear Dr. Malcolm,"
In unison, they finished: "Welcome to Isla Sorna."
  **** Here it is, the part you've all been waiting for: Welcome to Site B y'all! The WK team and Hammond's research expedition are all together and we get to be even more acquainted with the first of hopefully, many new creature friends on the island. What can I say? The Kratt Bros are always making friends wherever they go.. I also took the liberty to use some Swahili names for three of the raptors:
Makucha= Claws
Malaika= Angel
Kipanga= Falcon
PSS, I've finally decided that Amber's VA should be Hynden Walch, it felt appropriate for her playful personally...
PSSS, sorry for the long wait, but rest assured, I will continue writing no matter how long it takes. Yeah, I hate it when people suddenly end really cool stories before they're finished and I have absolutely no intention of doing that. Thank you so much for your patience..